General

Thiruvananthapuram: Eram Scientific Solutions, the only manufacturer of electronic toilets in the country, on Wednesday unveiled a new eToilet mobile app for such toilets a day before the World Toilet Day on November 19.
The app can be downloaded for free by android users from Google Play Store by typing keyword 'etoilets'.
Its unique features include locating the nearest eToilets, besides understanding mode of operation and access, information on facilities such as napkin vending machine, incinerator and sharing feedback on user experience of eToilet.
Through the app public can also suggest new places for setting up eToilets.

Anwar Sadat, CEO of the Thiruvananthapuram-based company, said it has set up over 1,300 eToilets across 18 states in India, and won numerous national and international awards.

The Chennai Municipal Corporation has the most 150-plus eToilets in the country.
The company has sought feedback from users and administrators to better the app and plans to bring out the final version on January 1, 2016.

Dubai: UAE-based telecom group Etisalat plans to roll out the first world’s first 5G network in the UAE in time for the Expo 2020 to offer 25 million visitors an exceptional telecom experience said the group’s CEO.
Speaking at the GSMA Mobile 360 - Middle East conference on ‘Building Connected Societies’, Ahmad Julfar said that Etisalat has the extensive ICT expertise and digital value proposition to provide end-to-end, scalable and innovative infrastructure that will help achieve the leadership’s vision to host the ‘best Expo that the world has witnessed.’
“We are ready to take the big leap into the future of the telecom industry with the UAE becoming the world’s first nation to roll out the 5G network,” he added.
Equidistant between Abu Dhabi and Dubai, the Expo Dubai site will be serviced by three international airports and a world class road and transport system to ensure ease of access and seamless operations for both participants and visitors.
Julfar said this will also help accomplish the goals of the UAE Vision 2021 to rank the nation first globally in the overall ICT infrastructure, Online Services Index and the Network Readiness Index as the UAE celebrates its 50th year of formation in 2021.
He added that the UAE has set clearly defined objectives and created a world-class telecom infrastructure that is well ahead of any other country in the region. “The introduction of the 5G network will significantly enhance the standard of government service delivery and bring unmatched value to industry and the public.”
Julfar said that Etisalat has deep expertise in managing large-scale projects and in delivering complex projects for the government and the private sector.
“We are a part of the Federal Government Network (FedNet) that connects 42 federal government entities with one common platform. We have also been involved in the Smart Dubai initiative in the selection process of building the Dubai City Platform. Most recently, we provided the Federal National Council with the Cloud Solution for the FNC Elections and managed the entire FNC Voting Cloud,” he added.

Ngesa Marvin Grown up in a small village in Muhoroni Kenya,from a young age he wanted to work in the science and engineering fields.
In childhood he came across a book at his uncle’s house that outlined how to write HTML codes. After some experimentation and exciting outcomes, he was hooked and knew that he wanted to develop solutions that address unique African problems, change lives and make the world a better place.
His latest project, Unicomm, is a motion algorithm that interprets hand gestures to read sign language and convey messages in text and audio, allowing the hearing-impaired to communicate more effectively.
Ngesa is a Telecommunications and information engineering student and while he is largely self-taught in coding, he admits that it hasn’t been smooth sailing. He encountered many bugs while teaching himself how to code in HTML, PHP and MySQL, but he pushed through the frustration, kept trying and learnt from his mistakes until he got it right. “When your code works, it becomes fun, and when you enjoy it, you understand it.”
Ngesa is a strong believer that if you want something badly enough, you will do everything you can to achieve it. While he acknowledges the challenges developers face in Africa, such as slow Internet connections and limited access to hardware, he saw the value in joining local tech communities and working with other developers on his projects.
Being surrounded by passionate and curious people encouraged him to develop his skills and learn from others whenever he could. “Having them explain makes a much bigger difference than reading.”
He encourages aspiring developers to look beyond their immediate surroundings, join communities and to devote more time to practicing. His advice is to be patient, make mistakes, keep trying and keep learning.
Ngesa loves Intel architecture and encourages new developers to start coding with Intel XDK, which enables them to design and deploy applications across multiple operating systems and also lets them scale their apps to reach more users. He describes the Intel Galileo board as “one of the best developer boards for all electronics enthusiasts” as it enables them to do cool things with wearable by improving their software and electronics skills.
Ngesa is excited for the Internet of Things revolution and wants to play a part in laying the foundations for automation and connectivity, and to promote open source electronics.

London: Anyone who has shopped for the perfect shade of nail polish knows the struggle of finding the right hue that compliments their skin color. Having tons of options for colors only complicate the matter further. That’s why nail care brand Sally Hansen has launched an app that will help shoppers find the perfect shade. Called ManiMatch, the app will let you virtually try on over 200 colors of nail varnish and purchase the right one, when you have made your decision.
What separates this app apart from other similar concepts on the market is that it curates its function to each user. “Allowing women to discover colors they had not considered previously and try on the shades in real time when they’re considering purchase will definitely revolutionize the shopping experience,” said Kristen D'Arcy, vice president of global digital for Coty.
To use, you simply place your hand on a plain background and let the app scan your hand to detect your skin tone. “There is little variation in color between the hand and fingernails, which means the cutting-edge tracking technology had to be carefully refined to accurately identify and locate the features on the hand,” said D’Arcy.
The app will then suggest colors, which you can try on virtually, that will be simulated perfectly accordingly to color, shine, and texture. “We created bespoke skin tone analysis algorithms specifically for the ManiMatch application —something that has never been done before for nails,” said D’ Arcy.
The algorithm used by the app is based on knowledge imparted by experts from Sally Hansen so you can rely on the app’s suggestions.